


The Sharpest Edge

by this_kills_the_man



Category: Green Lantern: The Animated Series
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Headcanon, Hurt/Comfort, Spoilers, aya is cool and razer is an emotional wreck, can be read as romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-16
Updated: 2015-06-16
Packaged: 2018-04-04 15:52:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4143615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/this_kills_the_man/pseuds/this_kills_the_man
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"He felt himself run towards her, moving through the motions of the scene more out of habit than through his own will, and from then on he could only play the part of the despairing young boy drowning in the grief of his wife’s death."</p>
<p>Those who visit Volkreig know that the sand’s grit never quite dissipates from the back of one’s throat...</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Sharpest Edge

**Author's Note:**

> I really enjoy Razer as a character, and I love seeing Aya grow and develop as she learns more about herself. Not really intended to be shippy - though it can be read that way - but I will say that I enjoy seeing Razer and Aya interact. Also, science.

Those who visit Volkreig know that the sand’s grit never quite dissipates from the back of one’s throat. Every particle lodges itself between the gum’s recesses despite any effort to swallow or spit, secured by chains of sediment that stab into the roof of the victim’s mouth like serrated daggers. If one hasn’t already withered underneath the humid heat’s sickly, invasive tendrils, then the pervasive cloud of rust that permeates across all its lands should choke the individual immediately. The heat alone can draw suffering from anyone on that god forsaken rock; The air itself boils any and all who reside on its surface. To dare and venture into the arid landscape that encircles any given city’s borders equates to engraving one’s own tombstone, or, if lucky, permanent residence in a bed. In fact, it’s not uncommon for parents to pass along tales to their children of those who foolishly gallivant in such ways. Had the various settlements on the planet been in higher concentrations, traversing the barren wasteland wouldn’t be so perilous - it’s the massive spans of empty, lifeless deserts between towns that endangers those who choose to explore.

Still, it’s home.

One night, Razer found himself standing amidst a massacre of rubble that had once been his residence on that home. The smoke was still fresh - piercing, even. It sickened him, bringing on an unwelcome wave of remorse as familiar sensations resurfaced without his consent. Through a gap in what was previously a wall, he could see to the very edges of the flaming horizon, peppered with crumbling structures that stretched far beyond the range of the naked eye.

Memories of war seemed to nag at the forefront of his consciousness at this sight; Terrible war, meaningless and undeserving of glory. Weaponry occupied kids’ hands and minds instead of books, instead of a future that promised more than a brief, painful existence riddled with the demise of others. Who in their right mind would bring children into a world that sought no love for them in return? No, that’s too much to ask, the young man chided inwardly, as he himself had wanted to start a family at one point.

Family. Illana.

Razer felt his very life force drain from him when that name rose to prominence in his mind. Eyes darting to the floor, an all too familiar sight greeted his gaze.

There she was, too pristine to be dead, too peaceful, face-down besides a brick that adorned the sharpest edge. He felt himself run towards her, moving through the motions of the scene more out of habit than through his own will, and from then on he could only play the part of the despairing young boy drowning in the grief of his wife’s death.

“But I came back for you..” he murmured, true feelings of astonishment lost with time. Pain had long surpassed the limits of remorse, leaving only disembodiment and pitiful apathy. It was too much to feel anything, really, no matter how many times this scene would resurface.

“Razer.”

He froze mid-kneel beside Illana, appointing all attention to the intruder’s soft voice as it poured from the corners of the room.

“Red lantern Razer, please respond. Your heart rate has increased a dangerous amount since entering the REM stage of your sleep cycle and requires immediate medical attention.”

Just like that, the scene around him melted away, replaced by a soft grey that slowly dimmed to comfortable darkness. It was at this point that Razer realized his eyes were closed.

Coercing his stubborn eyes open with the firm rub of his hands’ heels, the young man willed his shoulders to rise upward, sitting hunched over as his gaze stumbled about the room. He found Aya standing to his right, delicate brows drawn inward in concern. Oh, right. He’s on the ship, not.... there.

“Razer, your breathing has quickened abruptly. Are you alright?”

Unable to retain eye contact, the aforementioned Razer instead scrutinized the trembling digits resting at his sides. “I.. I’m fine,” he muttered, fingers idly tracing the delicate folds of the linen sheet. He wasn’t  actually fine, to tell the truth, but the young man decided that convincing Aya of that might convince himself, as well.

The artificial intelligence, however, obviously didn’t believe a single word. “Red lantern Razer, please be truthful. Your metabolic rates contradict what you are telling me-”

“ _ I can take care of myself _ _,_ ” he snapped, sharp eyes darting upward. The young man couldn’t help but rebuke at the idea of going through that process of open trust again, not with  _ her _ , because this kind of attention was so dangerously familiar that he could already see the outlines of rubble behind her robotic figure. By god, if this conversation continues then his heart might as well explode. “I-”

Razer couldn’t even finish before he noticed the wide eyes that adorned her face, how the slight raise of her brows betrayed hurt from his rejection, and his heart wrenched even further. Softening his gaze, the red lantern sighed. “I’ll be alright, I promise.”

A pause stretched between them. “Are you sure?” Aya whispered at last, a silent, tentative request for his reassurance. For such a resilient individual, it was odd for the red lantern to see her so _ vulnerable . _

Once more, a hushed quiet befell the quarters. The artificial intelligence remained steadfast in her supportive stance, only about a foot away from the edge of the bed, and soon the red lantern huffed in defeat. She wasn’t leaving anytime soon, that’s for sure.

“Perhaps some company would be helpful,” he trailed off uncertainly. The corners of Aya’s mouth twitched upward slightly, her equivalent of a massive grin. Instead of walking towards Razer, however, her body collapsed upon itself as the green light of her exposed “skin” disappeared. Smooth, polished metal poured from the ceiling, and before the red lantern could even blink, she had already reassembled herself.

“...May I ask what  _ that _ was all about?” stammered a baffled Razer. She looked  _ exactly the same  _ as bef- wait.

She had normal hands. As in, humanoid hands, complete with joints, ligaments, and even nail beds at the ends of her dainty fingers. Aya’s eyes gleamed with pride as she examined her new appendages. “I’ve been experimenting with different flesh simulations as of late. One night, I discovered that the circuitry in my wrists would last longer if they were encased in a softer material.” Her gaze trailed along the ridge of knuckles as she wiggled her fingers, experimenting with her newfound dexterity. “They’re still a work in progress, but I’ve managed to perfect my fine motor skills for both hands. I believe Green Lantern Hal would say that I am ‘ambidextrous.’”

Razer could only stare agape as his mind whirred to life. The engineer inside of him fawned over the structure’s technological brilliance; tentative fingers gently pulling one of the lime-green hands towards himself, he poured over each dip and stretch of her palm with complete awe. It must have taken  _ hours  _ to program the light energy to form like that without metallic support - that, he knew from experience, having coded his own, much more primitively assembled bots - and the meticulous precision in the placement of her joints left him speechless. They were absolutely  _ flawless _ .

But then, an unusual emotion roused itself within his chest. Was that... pride?

“I-Is something the matter?” Aya sputtered, concerned by the Razer’s lack of response. To her relief, he simply shook his head.

“I just wanted to say..” trailed the red lantern, both hands now gently encasing her delicate fingers, “that I’m at a loss for words to describe  _ how much _ you amaze me.” His fogged pupils met her crystalline blue orbs with an energy that Aya couldn’t recognize. “I’m so proud of you, Aya.”

At this, her eyes lit up like stars. “Really?” she breathed.

For the first time in what felt like years, Razer felt a smile creep onto his face.


End file.
